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Lecture

The Canal de Suez: Technological Marvel and Capitalism

In course

HUM-254: Contemporary international history

Ce cours a pour objectif de mettre en évidence l'histoire du capitalisme de la révolution industrielle (fin 18e siècle) jusqu'à nos jours. Il s'intéresse aux grandes mutations économiques, technologiques, sociales et environnementales qui ont accompagné l' ...

Description

This lecture delves into the life of Ferdinand de Lesseps and the technological feat of the Canal de Suez, exploring its pivotal role in colonial rivalries. It also examines the economic integration and inequalities brought by the canal's opening, alongside the development of modern financial systems.

Instructor

Thomas David

Official source

Related concepts (5)

Economic integration

Economic integration is the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade. The trade-stimulation effects intended by means of economic integration are part of the contemporary economic Theory of the Second Best: where, in theory, the best option is free trade, with free competition and no trade barriers whatsoever.

Regional integration

Regional Integration is a process in which neighboring countries enter into an agreement in order to upgrade cooperation through common institutions and rules. The objectives of the agreement could range from economic to political to environmental, although it has typically taken the form of a political economy initiative where commercial interests are the focus for achieving broader socio-political and security objectives, as defined by national governments.

European integration

European integration is the process of industrial, economic, political, legal, social, and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integration has primarily come about through the European Union and its policies. In antiquity, the Roman Empire brought about integration of multiple European and Mediterranean territories. The numerous subsequent claims of succession of the Roman Empire, even the iterations of the Classical Empire and its ancient peoples, have occasionally been reinterpreted in the light of post-1950 European integration as providing inspiration and historical precedents.

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal (قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ALA) is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular trade route between Europe and Asia. In 1858, Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Suez Canal Company for the express purpose of building the canal. Construction of the canal lasted from 1859 to 1869. The canal officially opened on 17 November 1869.

Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression (Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France. The aims were to regain control of the Suez Canal for the Western powers and to remove Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had just nationalised the foreign-owned Suez Canal Company, which administered the canal. Israel's primary objective was to re-open the blocked Straits of Tiran.

Related concepts (5)